As density of data stored on the data storage mediums increases, more sophisticated error correction methods are needed to verify the integrity of the data stored on the medium and correct errors that can arise during writing and/or reading process. In addition, as the data storage device becomes smaller and operates at a faster speed, error rate also increases when reading data from the data storage medium.
For example, when an improved tape drive with smaller readers is utilized to read older generations of magnetic tape, error rate can be significantly higher due to the smaller reader dimension and/or faster operation speed. In addition, the older generations of tapes may utilize error correction codes which are more primitive than the newer generations of tapes. As a result, the new generations of tape drive may not be backwards compatible with older generations of tapes.
Therefore, there is need for an error correction process that implements new generations of error correction code, while at the same time is able to take advantage of older generations of error correction code, such that data that are saved in the older formats can be retrieved and utilized by the new generation of systems.